Method and system to contact an ionic liquid catalyst with oxygen to improve a chemical reaction

Abstract

In an embodiment, a method is disclosed to increase the activity of an ionic liquid catalyst comprising contacting an ionic liquid catalyst with oxygen. In another embodiment, a method is disclosed comprising introducing into a reaction zone a monomer feed and an ionic liquid catalyst and controlling the amount of oxygen present in the reaction zone to maintain a conversion reaction of the monomer. In another embodiment, a polyalphaolefin oligomerization system is disclosed comprising a reactor configured to receive and mix monomer, ionic liquid catalyst, and oxygen; and a controller coupled to an oxygen source and configured to control the amount of oxygen present in a catalyzed reaction zone to maintain a conversion reaction of the monomer.

That which is claimed is: 
     
       1. A method to increase the activity of an ionic liquid catalyst comprising contacting an ionic liquid catalyst with molecular oxygen, wherein the contacting occurs prior to or within a reaction zone, wherein a reaction within the reaction zone is a polymerization reaction or an oligomerization reaction. 
     
     
       2. The method of  claim 1  wherein the reaction within the reaction zone is the polymerization reaction. 
     
     
       3. The method of  claim 1  wherein the reaction within the reaction zone is the oligomerization reaction. 
     
     
       4. The method of  claim 3  further comprising feeding monomer and ionic liquid catalyst into the reaction zone. 
     
     
       5. The method of  claim 4  wherein the monomer comprises alpha olefins having from about 4 to about 20 carbon atoms or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       6. The method of  claim 4  wherein the monomer comprises alpha olefins having from about 10 to about 12 carbon atoms or mixtures thereof. 
     
     
       7. The method of  claim 4  wherein the oxygen is added to an ionic liquid catalyst feed. 
     
     
       8. The method of  claim 4  wherein the oxygen is added to a monomer feed. 
     
     
       9. The method of  claim 4  wherein the oxygen is added to a combined monomer and ionic liquid catalyst feed. 
     
     
       10. The method of  claim 4  wherein the oxygen is added into a headspace of the reaction zone. 
     
     
       11. The method of  claim 4  wherein the oxygen is added by bubbling oxygen up through the reaction zone. 
     
     
       12. The method of  claim 1  further comprising controlling an amount of oxygen present in the reaction zone to maintain a desired reaction conversion. 
     
     
       13. The method of  claim 12  wherein the amount of oxygen is controlled by controlling the amount of oxygen in a monomer feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of oxygen in an ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of oxygen in a combined monomer and ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of oxygen in a gas located in a headspace of the reaction zone, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       14. The method of  claim 12  further comprising controlling an amount of water present in the reaction zone to maintain a desired reaction conversion and avoid deactivating the catalyst. 
     
     
       15. The method of  claim 14  wherein the amount of water is controlled by controlling the amount of water in a monomer feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of water in an ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of water in a combined monomer and ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of water in a gas located in a headspace of the reaction zone, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       16. The method of  claim 12  wherein the amount of oxygen is controlled such that oxygen comprises from at least about 0.5 to about 21 wt. % of the gas in a headspace above the reaction zone. 
     
     
       17. The method of  claim 14  wherein the amount of oxygen is controlled such that oxygen comprises from at least about 0.5 to about 21 wt. % of the gas in a headspace above the reaction zone and the amount of water is controlled such that water comprises from at least about 0 to about 100 ppm based upon the weight of the total reactants within the reaction zone. 
     
     
       18. The method of  claim 4  further comprising recovering polyalphaolefins from the reaction zone. 
     
     
       19. The method of  claim 18  wherein a monomer conversion is from about 44% to about 100%. 
     
     
       20. A method comprising introducing into a reaction zone a monomer feed and an ionic liquid catalyst and controlling an amount of oxygen present in the reaction zone to maintain a conversion reaction of the monomer. 
     
     
       21. The method of  claim 20  wherein the amount of oxygen is controlled by controlling the amount of oxygen in the monomer feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of oxygen in the ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of oxygen in a combined monomer and ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of oxygen in a gas located in a headspace of the reaction zone, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       22. The method of  claim 20  further comprising controlling the amount of water present in the reaction zone to maintain the conversion reaction of the monomer and avoid deactivating the catalyst. 
     
     
       23. The method of  claim 22  wherein the amount of water is controlled by controlling the amount of water in the monomer feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of water in the ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of water in a combined monomer and ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of water in a gas located in a headspace of the reaction zone, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       24. The method of  claim 23  wherein the monomer feed is dried to a water content of less than about 1 ppm by weight and the amount of oxygen or wet gas is added to the reaction zone. 
     
     
       25. The method of  claim 24  wherein the wet gas is moist nitrogen. 
     
     
       26. A method for catalytically oligomerizing a monomer into polyalphaolefins in a reaction zone, comprising contacting an ionic liquid catalyst with molecular oxygen prior to or within the reaction zone. 
     
     
       27. The method of  claim 26  wherein the oxygen is added to the ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, to the monomer feed to the reaction zone, to a combined monomer and ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, to a headspace of the reaction zone, by bubbling oxygen up through the reaction zone, or combinations thereof. 
     
     
       28. The method of  claim 27  further comprising controlling an amount of oxygen present in the reaction zone to maintain a desired reaction conversion, wherein the amount of oxygen is controlled by controlling the amount of oxygen in the monomer feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of oxygen in the ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of oxygen in the combined monomer and ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of oxygen in a gas located in the headspace of the reaction zone, or a combination thereof. 
     
     
       29. The method of  claim 28  further comprising controlling the amount of water present in the reaction zone to maintain the desired reaction conversion and avoid deactivating the catalyst, the amount of water is controlled by controlling the amount of water in the monomer feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of water in the ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of water in the combined monomer and ionic liquid catalyst feed to the reaction zone, controlling the amount of water in the gas located in the headspace of the reaction zone, or a combination thereof.